This week in…State Board Activities

Farmers in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta have come to an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board: in exchange for the Board’s promise to not implement stricter cuts later in the season, some growers have agreed to voluntarily cut their water use by 25%. The Board was expected to impose mandatory cuts to senior water rights holders in the San Joaquin River watershed. These users have not received curtailment orders since 1977.

In other news…

Wildfire season officially began earlier this month. Since the beginning of 2015, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), has responded to over 1,406 wildfires across the state, up from a five-year average of 854. These fires have burned more than 6,000 acres, up a five-year average of 5,475 acres. This is a low estimate of the true fire damage in the state, as these numbers do not include fires outside of CAL FIRE’s jurisdiction.